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Saturday, February 25, 2017

Raymond’s article on The Malayan Chronicles: An
outstanding and courageous Member of Parliament in Mr Chiam See Tong

Mr Chiam has always been a humble and caring Member of Parliament (MP)
and had served all his residents very well. Until this very day, residents in
Potong Pasir still speak fondly of Mr Chiam. As MP, he served the residents of
Potong Pasir for 27 long years. Truly outstanding!

Despite being outnumbered by the ruling party – The People’s Action
Party, Mr Chiam spoke passionately about the plight of our less fortunate
Singaporeans.

In a report “Chiam, Peng Siong team up for new charity foundation”
published in TODAY
newspaper on January 18, 2017, Mr Chiam See Tong and former star swimmer Mr Ang
Peng Siong, have come together to set up a foundation that will provide
financial aid to people who need it to pursue their goals, but fall outside the
current systems that provide such help.

And I share the sentiments expressed by a regular forum writer Geoffrey
Kung Kuo Woo on the kindness and compassion shown by this former Member of
Parliament (MP) in Kung’s letter to TODAY newspaper “Efforts to help those who
fall through the cracks laudable” (Jan 31).

Most certainly Mr Chiam is a true-blue Singaporean. Humble, he is a very
approachable man.

Many of our seniors who hit 60 are worried sick that if they fall ill
with poor supporting systems, they will face a tragic end.

In Japan, a report published on 18th January 2017 in the Business
Insider (Singapore) it revealed a worrying trend: 20 percent of the country’s
elderly who commit crimes prefer to stay in prison as they see it as nursing
homes where meals, lodging and medical and other forms of nursing care is guaranteed.
In these prisons, the prison officers will help bathe the elderly inmates, get
them changed, and clean them up. It is such a sad state of affairs that
citizens who once contributed to the economy have to end up in such dire
straits.

There are so many elderly Singaporeans who live all alone and have lost
key social support. Isolation does a lot of damage. Moreover, ageism is still
is a stumbling block for those who cross 50 in securing less stressful and
physically demanding jobs. In many cases, the elderly in this age bracket will
either be offered jobs as security guards, carpark attendants and even
cleaners, despite having administrative experience or other useful skills.
Carrying out a 12-hour shift duty at security places can be overwhelming for seniors
whose health can be adversely affected.

On two occasions when I met Mr Chiam, he showed remarkable concern for
those with special needs, including those who grapple with mental illness and
their dedicated caregivers.

During his term as an MP, he spoke out courageously in Parliament on the
needy and so did his wife, Lina when she served as a Non-Constituency Member of
Parliament.

When my wife was alive, Lina came by to our home with a friend and spoke
to Doris and myself to learn more about mental illness. My wife was deeply
touched that Lina was understanding to her struggles with schizophrenia, her
mobility problems with her arthritis condition and my multiple difficulties in
taking of her.

Let’s see Singapore have more caring, humble and courageous parliamentarians
like Mr Chiam See Tongs and Lena Chiam.